The present invention relates to an eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing a periphery of an eyeglass lens.
In an apparatus for processing a periphery of an eyeglass lens, a rotating grindstone (a processing tool) is caused to press against the periphery of the lens held on a lens rotating shaft in contact therewith, thereby carrying out the processing. During the processing, water for the processing is supplied in order to cool a portion of the lens to be processed and to remove processing wastes. For this reason, the grindstone is provided on the inside. Therefore, a processing chamber is protected by a waterproof cover for the processing. The used water is discharged through a drainage such as a drainpipe from a drainage port provided in a lower part of the processing chamber.
However, the conventional apparatus suffers from the following problem. More specifically, when the drainage such as a drainage port or a drainpipe is clogged with processing wastes, the water is not discharged but the processing chamber overflows with the water. Consequently, the apparatus breaks down. In order to eliminate such a drawback, a cleaning work for removing the processing wastes is to be carried out at any time and management therefor cannot be performed easily.
In consideration of the drawbacks of the conventional apparatus, it is a technological object of the invention to provide an eyeglass lens processing apparatus capable of preventing a water overflow due to the clogging of the drainage, and furthermore, of easily managing a cleaning work for removing processing wastes.
In order to attain the object, the invention has the following structure.
(1) An eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing a periphery of an eyeglass lens, comprising:
a processing chamber in which a lens processing tool is disposed;
water supply means for supplying water for lens processing to an interior of the processing chamber;
water drainage means for discharging the water from the processing chamber;
detect means for detecting a clogging state of the water drainage means; and
water supply control means for controlling supply of the water by the water supply means based on a result of detection by the detect means.
(2) The apparatus according to (1), further comprising:
notifying means for notifying the result of detection by the detection means.
(3) The apparatus according to (1), wherein the detect means detects an amount of the water within the processing chamber.
(4) The apparatus according to (1), wherein:
the water drainage means includes a drainage port provided to the processing chamber and a drainpipe connected to the drainage port; and
the detect means detects an amount of the water within the drainpipe.
(5) The apparatus according to (1), further comprising:
process control means for controlling the lens processing by the lens processing tool based on the result of detection by the detect means.
(6) An eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing a periphery of an eyeglass lens, comprising:
a processing chamber in which a lens processing tool is disposed, the processing chamber having a drainage port;
a water supply unit which supplies water for lens processing to an interior of the processing chamber;
a drainpipe connected to the drainage port;
a sensor which detects an amount of the water within the processing chamber or the drainpipe; and
a controller which controls the water supply unit based on a result of detection by the sensor.
(7) The apparatus according to (6), further comprising:
a notify unit which notifies the result of detection by the sensor.
(8) The apparatus according to (6), wherein the controller controls the lens processing by the lens processing tool based on the result of detection by the sensor.
(9) An eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing a periphery of an eyeglass lens, comprising:
a processing chamber in which a lens processing tool is disposed;
water supply means for supplying water for lens processing to an interior of the processing chamber;
water drainage means for discharging the water from the processing chamber;
detect means for detecting a clogging state of the water drainage means; and
notifying means for notifying the result of detection by the detection means.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application No. 2000-401369 (filed on Dec. 27, 2000), which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.